The Classification of Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Flowers and Whatever for Wine-making.

National Specifications

The National specifications for wines currently include specifications for Dry, Medium and Sweet wines with a range of fruit and other product classes and a group of wines that fall in to the aperitif dessert, sherry and port classes of wines. However the qualification of a fruit type is still concerning some individuals If we leave out the aperitifs, ports sherries etc there are three styles of wine within our concept of amateur wine making.

1. Grape

2. Fruit.

3. Other Ingredient.

We have no concern with Grape or Other Ingredients at this stage but we need to identify the fruit class more critically so that competitors are not disadvantaged at any level of competition with either an incorrect entry or an entry that (by confusion / ignorance) is placed out of class by a member of the Judges Guild. The major problem appears to be in the Berry class or fruits, but it would seem appropriate to state a few definitions on other ingredients just to clarify the differences between fruit and vegetables.

The following is an authoritive guide for those winemakers within our organisation who have doubts with regard to class ingredients.

Fruit Class.

Fruit is the development ovary of a seed plant such as a nut or a tomato etc. and the edible part of a plant developed from a flower such as a banana or a peach. It is also accepted that any developed ovary from a vine such as a pumpkin is in fact a fruit. The main fruit types are:

Pip Fruits: Apple, Crab apple, Japonica, Medlar, Pear Pomegranate, Quince. Rose hip.

Stone Fruits: Apricot, Cherry, Peach, Nectarine, Plum.

Nut Fruits: Almond, Hazel, Macadamia, Pecan, Walnut.

Berry Fruits: Blueberry, Currants (black/white/red), Cape Gooseberry, Gooseberry, Elderberry, Grape, Mulberry, Strawberry, Whortleberry (Bilberry, Blueberry. Huckleberry) Note that grape is in this group but it is seperated out to form a group of its own hence it is not to be entered in the Fruit Classes.

Citrus Fruits: Grapefruit. Kumquat, Lemon, Mandarin, Orange, Tangelo, Lime.

Vine Fruits: (other than already classified) Choko, Pumpkin, Tomato, Squash.

Exotic Fruits: (Subtropical and Tropical) Babaco, Banana, Casimiroa Cherimoya, Feijoa, Guava, Kiwifruit, Loquat, Naranjilla, Papaya, Passionfruit, Persimmon, Pineapple, Tamarillo.

Berry Class.

The Berry Class is a selected range of bramble fruits belonging to the Rosaceae family. “Bramble” does not necessarily mean ‘prickly’ cares as there are now available many varieties of thornless brambles. These bramble fruits were taken out of Fruit Class because of their individual intense aroma and flavour against which most other fruits were no match when in competition on the wine judging table. The berry types included are Blackberry, Marionberry, Olallieberry Boysenberry, Dewberry, Kiwiberry, Loganberry, Tayberry, Tummeberry, Youngberry, Rasberry.

 

Compiled by Vic Whyman 1999.